The former head of Livedoor Co., a hugely successful internet company that fell from grace in 2006 over a nationally publicized accounting scandal, wasted no time to enjoy the delights of the outside world.

“I was pretty busy with things to do after being released, so I decided to check-out McDonalds,” Mr. Horie told a room packed with reporters at a press conference hosted by internet video sharing site Nico Nico Douga.
“It was tasty,” he said, explaining he was still used to the bland meals served in prison, which helped him lose more than 60 pounds.

“I think I’ll go eat some sushi next.”

The outspoken 40-year-old was once a poster-boy for Japan’s new generation of young entrepreneurs, rattling Japan’s corporate old-guard with his Ferrari and celebrity lifestyle.

Nick-named “Horiemon” for his resemblance to “Doraemon,” Japan’s beloved robotic cartoon cat, Mr. Horie acquired something of a star-status with his former company’s widely publicized but failed attempts to take-over the Fuji TV station and the Kintetsu Buffaloes baseball team. He even ran for a seat in parliament in a 2005 snap general election, losing to a rival by a relatively small margin.

While Mr. Horie apologized for the scandal, his drive and ambition seemed intact as he continued explaining his future plans, including overseeing his pet space travel project and launching an internet news site.

While Mr. Horie was imprisoned in June 2011 for a 30-month-term after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against a conviction of accounting fraud, he continued to maintain an online presence through his popular digital magazine – which he wrote from his cell – and regular tweets that his staff posted on behalf of him. As of Wednesday, his Twitter account boasts nearly 930,000 followers.

But the year and a half he spent in the can may have brought at least some change in the man who was once Japan’s most well-known daredevil businessman.

Asked what he thought about the recent surge in share prices, he had this advice to give investors:

“It’s great that the economy seems to be improving…but all (economic) bubbles come and go – they all eventually burst.”